South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-07-01
TURKISH SCHOOLS.
Educational Facilities in the
Ottoman Empire.

The Tires Kinds Of Public SCHOOL, the
Instructors and the Manner of Teaching.
| Three kinds Of public schools exist in
Turkey-the mahalc meklebs (the pri.
murv schools) the ruchdiycs (tho upper
primary schools), and the medresscs, (thc
schools OF the mosqucs). Every Turk
ish city is divided into mahaIcs, each of
which is provided with primary school,
founded and supported by special be.
quests, and in which only the alphabet
and the reading of the Koran arc taught
but the rudiments of writing are ex-
cludcd.
The instructors arc almost always Sc
lccted from the imams of the districts
They sit or squat for many hours upon a
small platform covered with mat or a
carpet. Covered with a white or green
turban OF they are hadjis, that is, il
they have made pilgrimage to Mecca,
they make backward and forward
movement with their heads, so prolonged
and so regular that European that
should look at them ten minutes would
be sca-sick. Accompanying this motion
OF the head, the teachers chant a mo-
netonous litany, tho words of which are
the different letters of the Turkish al.
phabet, or verses from the Koran; and it
Is by repeating this chant and by imi-
tating these movements of the he I'D after
the manner Of black bears, that the
pupils learn the elements of reading and
religion. Children enter these schools
Mt the age of five, and remain there five
or SIX years, paying fee, which is not
required of the poor.
When pupils leave the district schools,
they can enter the ruchdiyes, a more adj
vanced class Of schools, and entirely
free. There they learn reading and get
their first knowledge of Turkish writing
--sulus, the writing of common books
and ric'. commercial writing. They
are taught little arithmetic, an abridg-
ment OF Turkish geography, and, finally,
the history OF the Ottoman empire, writ
ten according to the custom otthe faith
full. The Mussui manic amour proprc is
touchy, and Turks do not admit within
the sanctuary of their history either their
political or military defeats, or the
! peccadillos OF their sultans. The lessons
Of the ruchdiyes are usually given in
Arabic, and include no knowledge Of
science. The professors in these schools
arc highly esteemed by the Turks, and
the superintendent receive the pompous
title Of recteurs.
The schools of the mosques are superior
to the ruchdiycs. Pupils enter these
when they are from IS to 30 years old,
and remain their for 10 and even 20
years. They are lodged, fed and
| clothed graiuitousy, and live in COM
panies OF from 90 to so and a hundred
in number, in special buildings called
medresses. There are more than 500
medresscs in S.amboul alone. During
Ramazln the pupils of the mc1resses
, scatter themselves over the provinces,
which open Their mosques, and here
| these old students distribute among
their supplemented auditors the mamma
of their religious and astrological
studies, which brings them some money.
! On leaving the medrcsscs at the re-
| spectacle age of thirty five or forty
| years, n certain number of students be-
come cadis Gu lges), muftis (prcsidcnts
or tribunal }, rccteurs councillors of
the divan), secretaries of state, and even
ministers. The most important person
ages OF the empire have lived in the
medrcsscs- Many others. however, do
not obtain any Office, deprivation that
! docs not trouble them much if they are
rich and indolent, or even if they are
poor, for then they draw their support
| from the vakoufs, which do not permit
them to want for anything. When the
Ottoman empire was at the height of its
! glory, the schools OF the mos ques en- -
| joyed great reputation. To-day the
only Important courses Of lectures de-
livercd arc the Arabic and religious lee
lures; and mcdrcsses may be looked ur-
on rs veritab'c schools of Mohammcdan
theology. Religious and civil law being,
however, mingled more or less in the
Koran, ono can easily understand why
it is that religious instruction holds the
first place in public education. -tCos-
mopolitan.